Zenbu Blog

Dean and Deluca Kyoto

This is a very short post to say that if you are in downtown Kyoto on the hop and in much need of a quick and decent cuppa and/or a burger/sandwich – but you can’t stand the thought of going to one of the large fast food chains – then check out the front cafe section of the large Dean and Deluca Restaurant (in the same spacious, red brick, Taisho period bank building that was once home to the lovely Flowing Karasuma).

I haven’t eaten in the main dining room yet but plan to soon. I’m a huge Dean and Deluca fan -well at least when it comes to the original store in Manhattan but I don’t mind their Japanese outlets either.

The Kyoto store is quite different to most in that it is mainly restaurant/cafe with none of the ‘beautiful pre made goodies to take home and gorgeously packaged European chocolates and candies’ on offer. They do have a few DnD branded coffees and teas etc – the ‘Kyoto’ blend ground coffee would certainly make a nice souvenir but it’s not the usual food store you might expect from Dean and Deluca. Lost in Translation perhaps? The Tokyo outlets are very different and work well so it will be interested to see how things go long term in Kyoto with this particular concept.

But I don’t mean to sound negative and I’m not writing it off yet! The good news is that the grilled chicken and salad ‘sandwich’ and Maple Sugar Matcha Latte I ordered went down a treat – and I’d certainly choose it any day over MctuckyKingteria…

You’ll find it on Karasuma Dori ( street) – above Shijo and below Sanjo on the western side of the street). The casual cafe part is open 11am – 9pm. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and stays open later.

Jane Lawson is the author of Zenbu Zen, finding food, culture and balance in Kyoto; Yoshoku; A little taste of Japan; and the recently released Tokyo Style Guide. Her articles on Japanese cuisine, culture and travel are widely published.

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